DID THE SPANISH INQUISITION SPREAD TO AMERICA?
In 1492, the Alhambra Degree ordered the expulsion of all Jews from Spain and its territories. But did this edict actually result in Jews being persecuted in the America?
THE MOORS CONTROLLED SPAIN
For almost 800 years, North African Muslims known as the Moors controlled large parts of what is now Spain. Between 711 and 1492, they established groundbreaking centers of learning which attracted Christians, Jews and Muslims. This promoted advancements in architecture, medicine, science, literature, astronomy, math, agriculture and philosophy. It played a large role in ushering in the Italian Renaissance. The “Golden Age of Spain” stopped abruptly when Moorish rule ended.
THE RECONQUISTA
In 711, the Moorish forces conquered large parts of the Iberian Peninsula. And so began the Reconquista, the struggle of the Catholic kingdoms to reclaim the land controlled by the Moors. The fighting continued until January 1492 when the Moor’s last stronghold, Grenada, fell to the Catholics. For many years before the fall of Grenada, the Jewish population of Iberia, which was believed to total up to a half million people during the 14th century, suffered from horrific violence and forced conversion. This significantly reduced the Jewish population. The massacres of 1391 saw large numbers of Jews convert to Catholicism to avoid being persecuted.
QUEEN ISABELLA AND KING FERDINAND
The reign of Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon began in 1479. With the Moorish retreat of 1492, the Catholic monarchs consolidated control of the Iberian Peninsula forming the nation of Spain. With the urging of the Grand Inquisitor Tomas de Torquemada, they immediately set out to rid their country of anyone who was not Catholic.
JEWS CONVERT TO CATHOLICISM TO AVOID EXPLUSION
Many Jews, wanting to avoid expulsion from a country their people had occupied since biblical times, made the decision to convert to Catholicism. This was not a long-term solution for most, as the Inquisition suspected many Jews who had converted to Catholicism of practicing Judaism in secret. It is believed that up to 200,000 Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492 for refusing to convert. Many fled to Portugal only to face forced conversion in their new country starting in 1497 and reaching its height during the 1506 Lisbon Massacre. Prosecution of suspected crypto-Jews continued until the 18th century.
FLEEING TO THE NEW WORLD
When Portugal became far too dangerous for Jews, many joined the Conquistadors on their ships to the Americas. They started life over in Peru and then in Mexico. Their peace did not last long. By 1570, the Spanish Inquisition established a Tribunal in Mexico City to enforce Catholicism in the new world. The Mexican Inquisition was as ruthless and brutal as the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions. It is estimated that under the Office of the Inquisition in the Mexican territories 324 people were prosecuted. Of that number fifty were executed.
CONVERTED JEWS TARGETED
Converted Jews (conversos) were targeted through surveillance of all their activities, often being reported by servants, neighbors and rivals. When it was suspected that a conversos was practicing Judaism in secret, they faced secret trials, torture, loss of property, long prison sentences and in some cases death.
As Spain conquered lands in Latin America, Tribunals were established in Lima (1570) and Cartagena (1610). This continued for 300 years between the 16th and 19th centuries. It only ended after Latin American countries won their independence.
Most of the cases brought against converted Jews were through charges of blasphemy. The allegations defined these crimes as using sorcery to act in duplicity with the devil.
INQUISTION MOVES TO NEW MEXICO
In the 17th century, the Inquisition moved into colonial New Mexico. Franciscan missionaries representing the Inquisition targeted converted Jews who they believed were secretly practicing Judaism. The Franciscan missionaries also used their power to target political rivals using accusations of Judaizing to force them from office. The most important cases were sent to Mexico City for trial.
BERNANDO LOPEZ DE MENDIZABAL
The most significant case of alleged Judaizing in the new world was that of Governor Bernardo Lopez de Mendizabal and his wife, Dona Teresa de Aguilera y Roche. Bernardo Lopez de Mendizabal was governor of Santa Fe de Nuevo Mexico, which is present day New Mexico. He was the great grandson of Juan Nunez de Leon, a converso accused of practicing Judaism in secret. During his time as governor, he forbade Franciscan priests from using Native Americans as slaves and to keep them from practicing their long-held beliefs. This enraged the Franciscan priests, who sought revenge.
In 1662, they accused Lopez de Mendizabal of thirty-three counts of illegal acts including sorcery and secretly practicing Judaism. The charges of judaizing contained accusations from his political rivals and servants who claimed that they saw the governor and his wife practice Jewish customs including observing the Sabbath, Friday night candle lighting, refusing to eat pork and not attending church on a regular basis. He was removed from his office as governor and forcibly sent to prison in Santo Domingo Pueblo in Mexico City along with his wife. He died two years later while still in prison without learning the charges against him.
DONA TERESA DE AGUILERA Y ROCHE
The governor’s wife, Dona Teresa de Aguilera y Roche was arrested along with him. She was an aristocratic Italian who spoke several languages and was well educated. A devout Catholic, she was accused of forty-seven crimes including judaizing and sorcery. She remained in prison until her trial of 1663 at which time she learned what the charges against her were. She represented herself during trial and accused those who persecuted her and her husband of greed and envy. She was finally released in December 1664 based on a lack of credible testimony. Her nightmare was finally over but it had destroyed her life. Her husband was dead and all her possessions had been confiscated. The rest of her life was spent trying to reclaim her property.
EXODUS OF CRYTO-JEWS NORTH
Many crypto-Jewish families moved up the Rio Grande north into the wilderness to keep from being persecuted. As time went on, many crypto-Jews intermarried with the Native American population. No longer practicing Judaism, there remained numerous stories of Natives who would not eat pork and lit candles on Friday night. Additionally, within some Hispanic New Mexican communities, Jewish practices like lighting candles on Friday night still exist. Neither the Native Americans nor the Hispanic communities remember why this is done.
The Jewish presence in Spain has left a permanent mark on its people. It has been shown through DNA studies that an estimated 20% of the population of Spain have Jewish ancestry. It is estimated that up to 25% of Latin Americas are of Sephardic Jewish ancestry. The results of their ancestors being forced to flee Spain. While those Spaniards who discover their Jewish heritage do not wish to convert to Judaism, this is not the case in South America. A small but increasing number are officially converting and seeking a return to Judaism. These Bnei Anusim, “Children of the Coerced” are estimated to be in the thousands.
